Redemption of stars
by paigehollow
Summary: Peeta Mellark is living in Twelve-lakes, he's happy but hides a hidden past that only a few know the real truth behind. yet when the truth behind it comes back into his life looking for help and redemption Peeta isn't sure if it's worth the pain or trouble, so it's up to that person to show him she is. Modern AU. Everlark. Rating will change later.


**Disclaimer, i own nothing and i'm sorry for spelling and grammar mistakes.**

**Prologue.**

**Shining star or fallen rock.**

**Peeta's POV.**

It's the feeling of a little pressure, just minuet pressing against my cheek that pulls me from from slumber. Slowly my heavy eyelids open, dazed and slightly confused as the sleep still lingers within but quickly I'm pulled wide awake.

"Huh... Hanna? What's the matter princess?"

The little girl standing at the side of my bed, her head barely reaching above the height of the mattress looks up at me. Her blanket clutched tightly in her little hands, held up at her mouth as she slowly bites it. She's scared, the tears pooling in the corners of her eye's are a dead indicator. Swing my legs over, gathering her into my arms as one of her hands clutches at my sleep-shirt I hear her soft sobs, some coming out as hiccups rather than cries. I gentle rock her in my arms, this being the third night this week that she has awoken having had a nightmare. I blame it on Rye,6 months ago when I left Hanna over there while I attended one of my brothers so called "hook-ups" but that night, as with most that have come before fell flat on it's face when the bombshell, that Rye just so happened to leave out was dropped. I'm twenty-three years old and a single father, thus not a very attractive appeal for any single woman but coming home that night to Rye having a drunken party, finding a terrified Hanna hiding in her closet was the last straw. I haven't left her alone with him since and my personal life has taken a back seat, not that I'm complaining Hanna is the world to me and I'm planning on bring her up in a better environment that I was. I'll do anything to make sure she doesn't go through the same sufferings I did. After a few minutes her breathing has slowed, her sobs gone and she asleep in my arms quiet, content and safe I lay us back down. Glancing at the clock 330am and tuck the covers around us not bothering to take her back to her own room, I know anyway that she'll sleep better with me after the nightmare so I let her drifting off back into a deep sleep.

_**-Dream-**_

_**it was a lie, looking at her, into those eye's I had fallen in love with, that had grounded me so many times I know it's a lie. Everything was.**_

"_**Why?" I ask quietly, my voice broken just as my heart falls at her feet. Fragile and cracked I listen as she stomps it into dust.**_

"_**It was always a lie for me, everything was and I... I don't love you."**_

_**-End of dream-**_

I wake up with a start, panting heavily as my eye's try to focus on the room around me. Until the spinning stops I just stay leaning on my elbows but eventually the room slows to a stop, my breathing becoming regular again. I look down, my daughter still wrapped up in the blankets, her thumb resting on the edge of her lips. I stroke my hand through her hair, leaning down to kiss her forehead before starting the day. 6Am a normal start for me these days, though every morning my mind can't but help run back to those days before when I woke whenever I felt like it, when we both felt like it but I always stop those thoughts dead in their track because, as I was told thinking about those times only leads to aches and pains. Mainly to do with my heart. After washing and dressing I head down stairs and begin the days work, making and shaping dough made the previous night into all the different shapes needed for the bakery. Sweet dough as well for the cakes and cookie, soon having everything prepared or cooking away in the ovens. After everything that happened, moving back to Twleve-lakes was an easy decision for me. It was where I grew up, my families old bakery shop being here or at least the remains that where left from the fire. A fire that started and consumed the bakery and... my parents. The doctors told me that the smoke would have killed them before the flames, a small grace in horror of the incident. I rebuilt the bakery, changing it in smallish way to make it more mine and not a complete reminder of the past. There are many memories from the past, some terrible but the good ones out-way the bad ones and it's always held a calming sense for me, it's also the only place I could ever think of raising my child. My old residence would have been completely unbearable and in a small way I'm glad I up and left that place.

730am ringing out and I smile because as on cue I hear the soft patter of feet running across the hard wood floor , down the stairs and the squeal of my little girl as she races into the kitchen.

"Daddy!" she leaps into my opens arms, both laughing together as I pick her up and spin her around.

"So... what do you want for breakfast? Pancakes?"

she shakes her head at me and I raise an eyebrow, normally the mention of pancakes is enough to silence all other options but I guess not today.

"Huh... errr... cereal?"

"Yupp!" popping the sound at the end as I sit her down at the table, gathering her bowl, milk and her favourite, chocolate animal cereal. Placing it before her and watching as she dives in, I just shake my head and smirk seeing her mothers eating habits in her. Her mother, I haven't seen her in some time, nearly four years the last time seeing her was three months after Hanna was born but I try not to let the anger get to me or let it show. Soon the time comes, Hanna washed and dressed I leave the bakery Rue and Ava having made there way into work I pick Hanna up in my arms and start the walk to the pre-school. The warm summer sun beating down hard, it's a perfect day out here in the country side, my perfect day, one for many. I walk with a brisk pace, listening to Hanna about all the different things she's going to be doing in the coming weeks at school, about her friends and her teacher whom I see waiting at the gates to the school.

"Miss Delly!" Hanna squeals, as I set her down and release her she bounds her way towards Delly. Delly is godmother to Hanna, my best friend from childhood and one of the few people who actually know the truth about my past. She also happens to be Rye's on and off again boyfriend. They keep dancing around the same old dance of being together for a couple of months then breaking up after a fight. Most of the times it's about Rye's inability to settle down and get out of the college partier person, Rye coming on for twenty-eight it's about time he finally listened to Delly.

"Hay, how are you Delly?" I ask giving her a hug, watching as Hanna bids both of us good-bye and leaves us there to go and join the large group of other children. Hanna has only been attending for a little over three months but she's had no trouble in making friends.

"I'm doing good Peeta. You and Hanna?"  
"Good as usual, kept busy... but... you'd mind watching her, last night, nightmare. Shook her up but she was fine this morning."  
"I'll keep an eye on her, she seems fine. God-damn idiot Rye is."  
"Yeah, you don't need to tell me. It's, no offence a wonder you can be so patient with him."  
"It's growing thin but... you know me and him, we keep doing this. It's our thing and-"  
"You deserve better, Rye is a nob for not see it."  
"Yeah but it's also what makes him... him." I smile sadly at Delly, she returns it. We both are like half broken records, destine to be that way replaying the same tune over and over. Hopelessly dreaming of a day our tune would change.

"tell him I said hi."  
"Will do." with that I bid both Hanna and Delly a good-bye heading off to the market stalls just a short way from the actual market centre and the bakery. They're all kept within the same area and I need my morning paper and coffee. Collecting both I head back to the bakery, first checking in on Ava and Rue, who's been fully trained on the cooking side of the bakery and can make things as well as me, Mondays are paper work days anyway for me but sitting at my desk in the small cramped office the front-page of the newspaper is what catches me, stopping everything.

Carefully I unfold it, reading the front headlines I swallow the lump in my throat.

**-SHINING STAR OR FALLEN ROCK-**

the knocking at the door it enough to temporally pull me away from the paper.

"Boss?"

"Ava, how many times have I told you, it's just Peeta."  
"Sure boss." smirking at me I roll my eye's.

"What is it?"  
"Umm... there's someone here to see you, I don't know who they are?" the confusion in her voice I look back at her confused as well.

"Send them through the back please."  
she nods before heading off back to the front of the bakery. I pick the paper up reading the headline sub.

_**-top actress having some problems as seen here leaving her managers building with tear stained face.-**_

"Boss?" looking up over the paper I let it slip between my fingers to the floor. That fallen rock and her manager are standing in my office and I do nothing to hide the disgust rising on my face.

"Hello Peeta."  
"Katniss Everdeen... what did I do to get fucked over by fate again."

**A/N; hope you like the prologue. I'm hoping the next chapter will be up in a few days, Monday night by the latest. Anyway I hope you enjoyed.**

**See you all later.**


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